Electrical terminals to terminate conductor members



Aug. 19, 1969 P, w, w ET AL ELECTRICAL TERMINALS TO TERMINATE CONDUCTOR MEMBERS 3 sheets sheet 1 Original Filed Nov. 17, 1966 Aug. 19, 1969 1 wAHL' ET AL 3,462,543.

ELECTRICAL TERMINALS TO TERMINATE CONDUCTOR MEMBERS Original Filed Nov. 17, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,l I l I Aug. 19, 1969 F. w. WAHL ET 3,462,543

ELECTRICAL TERMINALS 'IO TERMINATE CONDUCTOR MEMBERS Original Filed Nov. 1'7, 1966 v 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patent 3,462,543 ELECTRICAL TERMINALS T TERMINATE CONDUCTOR MEMBERS Frederick William Wahl, Middletown, and Ernest Lloyd Beinhaur, Harrisburg, Pa., assignors to AMP Incorporated, Harrisburg, Pa.

Continuation of application Ser. No. 595,244, Nov. 17, 1966. This application June 12, 1968, Ser. No. 740,768

Int. Cl. H025; 15/08; H01r 13/24, 7/00 US. Cl. 17494 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A connector assembly comprises a connecting member connectable to a member to effect an electrical connection and including a substantially round section extending outwardly therefrom, a body member having an inner inclined surface, and a wedge member provided with arcuate recesses to engage a conductor member and the round section when driven within the body member to terminate the conductor member.

This application is a continuation-in-part of US. patent application Ser. No. 503,705, filed Oct. 23, 1965, now abandoned and a continuation of US. application Ser. No. 595,244, filed Nov. 17, 1966.

This invention relates to electrical terminals and more particularly to electrical terminals to terminate utility conductors.

In the electrical utility field, the electrical conductors are terminated by means of a terminal that is crimped thereon or by means of a terminal that is bolted in place. In the case of the crimped-on terminal, the terminal has to be crimped a number of times at spaced locations in order to secure the terminal onto the conductor, and it is difficult to operate the crimping tool and make the first crimp to hold the terminal onto the conductor so that the other crimps can be effected.

As regards the bolted-on terminal, generally more than one bolt has to be tightened and it is difficult tohold the terminal and conductor in place while the first bolt is being tightened. With respect to both crimped and bolted terminals, the conductors which are to be terminated thereby have to be cleaned prior to being terminated.

A primary object of the invention is to provide terminals that are readily applied to conductors.

Another object of the invention is the provision of terminals that terminate at least one conductor.

A further object of the invention is .to provide a terminal that cleans the conductors when the termination is effected.

An additional object of the invention is the provision of a terminal that overcomes the disadvantages of the existing crimped and bolted terminations and is economical in the application thereof.

A still further object is to provide an electrical terminal that includes one part hingedly connected to another part.

Other objects and attainments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings in which there are shown and described illustrative embodiments of the invention.

The foregoing objects are achieved by means of a terminal comprising a connecting member connectable to a member to effect an electrical connection and including a substantially round section extending outwardly therefrom, a body member having an inner inclined surface,

3,462,543 Patented Aug. 19, 1969 and a wedge member provided with arcuate recesses to engage a conductor member and the round section when driven within the body member to terminate the conductor member. An embodiment of the invention comprises a body member having an inner inclined surface, a wedge member provided with at least one arcuate recess to engage a conductor member when driven within the body member to terminate the conductor member, and an integral tongue member extending outwardly from the body member and defining a connecting member connectable to a member to effect an electrical connection.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of an electrical terminal according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 but with the elements of the electrical terminal in an assembled condition;

FIGURE 3 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view similar to FIGURE 3 but illustrating the elements of the electrical terminal in an assembled condition;

FIGURE 5 is a view taken along lines 5-5 of FIG. 4 illustrating a further embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of an additional embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective and exploded view of the elements of FIGURE 6; and

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the lug.

Turning now to FIGURES 1 and 2, there is illustrated an electrical terminal T including a connecting member 1, a body member 2, and a wedge member 3. Connecting member 1 comprises a tongue 4 having holes 5 extending therethrough so that securing means 6 such as, for example, bolts or the like can extend therethrough for engagement with bus bar 7 or the like to effect an electrical connection. A substantially round section 8 extends outwardly from tongue 4.

Body member 2 has a C-shaped configuration and is provided with an inner inclined surface including spaced bights 9. Wedge member 3 has inclined surfaces which are mateable with the inclined surfaces of bights 9 and an arcuate recess 10 is disposed within each of these surfaces of wedge member 3. Conductor member 11 of the utility type is disposed within one of bights 9, round section 8 is disposed in the other bight and wedge member 3 is forcefully driven within body member 2 to secure connecting member 1 and conductor member 11 within body member 2. Wedge member 3 is preferably driven within body member 2 in a forceful manner by means of an explosively-operated tool disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 3,212,534 and the wedge member locked in position in the body member in the manner disclosed in US. patent application, Ser. No. 341,223, filed Jan. 30, 1964; however, the wedge member can be effectively driven into the body member by any suitable means to accomplish the desired effect. A salient feature of the embodiment of FIGURES l and 2 is the fact that the body member and wedge member can terminate the conductor member relative to connecting member 1 in any desirable angular disposition that can be effected.

Connecting member 4 is preferably made from a single piece of metal, such as for example, aluminum; however, it may be bimetallic in order to connect like metals to the like.

FIGURES 3 and 4 illustrate an embodiment of the invention wherein body member 12 is similar to body member 2 except that connecting member 13 is integral therewith -and extends outwardly therefrom as illustrated in FIGURE 3 and is provided with holes 14 to permit bolts 6 or the like to pass therethrough in order to secure body member 12 to an electrical element 15 such as a bus bar or the like. Wedge member 10 has inclined surfaces mateable with bight 17 of body member 12 and one of the inclined surfaces of wedge member 16 has an arcuate recess 18 for engagement with electrical conductor 19 when wedge member 16 is forcefully driven within body member 12 to secure electrical conductor 19 therebetween as illustrated in FIGURE 4. As can be discerned, the surface of wedge member 16 opposite arcuate recess 18 has a configuration matable with the bight with which it is in engagement. Thus, the embodiment of FIGURES 3 and 4 terminates conductor 19 via two pieces instead of three pieces.

If desired, two conductors 19 and 19' can be terminated by the embodiment of FIGURES 3 and 4 by providing arcuate recesses 18 and 18' in wedge member 16 as illustrated in FIGURE 5 so that the wedge member can secure electrical conductors 19 and 19' within body member 12'.

FIGURES 6 and 7 illustrate an additional embodiment of the invention wherein body member 20 is similar to body member 2 and wedge member 21 is similar to wedge member 3. Body member 20 includes bights 22 having inclined surfaces and wedge member 21 includes inclined edges mateable with bights 22 and each edge has an arcuate recess 23 therein.

Lug 24 includes a fiat section having openings 26 therein for mounting the lug on a transformer, bus bar, switch, utilizing the lug as a dead end or in any other suitable manner. A rectangular opening 27 is located between fiat section and round section 28 with open ing 27 permitting the lug to be hingedly mounted on a leg of body member .20 and round section 28 being engaged by an arcuate recess 23 of wedge member 21.

FIGURE 28 illustrates lug 24 which is an alternative embodiment of lug 24. Lug 24 has flat section 25 and round section 28' which are angularly disposed with respect to one another so that flat section 25' can be mounted on the transformer, bus bar or switch or the like and conductor member 29 is disposed at an angular disposition away from the point of connection between tlat section 25 and the member to which it is connected.

In assembly, one of bights 22 of body member 20 is placed in engagement with conductor member 29 and lug 24 is hingedly mounted on body member 20 via rectangular opening 27 with round section 28 disposed in the other bight 22 of body member 20. Wedge member 21 is then forcefully driven into body member 20 with arcuate recesses 23 respectively engaging conductor member 29 and round section 28. The wedge member is driven into the body member by means of the aforementioned explosively-operated tool. As wedge member 21 is being driven within body member 20, a section 30 of the leading end of wedge member 21 is struck out therefrom '4 in overlapping relationship with a corresponding end of body member 20 to lock the body member and wedge member together in the manner disclosed in aforementioned US. patent application, Ser. No. 341,223. Lug 24' is utilized in the same manner as lug 24 and both lugs can beangularly positioned with respect to body member 20 to effect the desired result. The flat section of the lugs can take any desirable geometrical configuration and size, the number of openings in the flat section can be of any order and location therein and the width of the flat section can be located within or out of the length of the round section or the flat section can be located (i.e. the part of the flat section having the openings therein) to the side of the round section.

As can be discerned, there has been disclosed a unique and novel electrical terminal to terminate a conductor member or members to elfect an electrical connection with an electrical element.

What is claimed is:

1. In an electrical connection between a conductor cable and a terminal lug in which a body member has a pair of spaced bights, one of said bights housing a section of the cable, the other of said bights housing an engaging section of the terminal lug, and a wedge member which extends between and engages with said sections wedgingly securing them within the bights, said terminal lug comprising a flat section for attachment to a device, a further section extending from the fiat section including a lineraly extending rounded member, the lug having an opening therein between the flat section and the further section through which a leg of the other bight passes, the engaging section of the lug comprising the rounded member.

2. An electrical connection according to claim 1, wherein said flat and further sections of the lug are disposed in angular relationship.

3. In an electrical connection according to claim 1, the linearly extending rounded member of the lug being rotatable to a desired angular position in the other bight prior to securement by the wedge member for adjusting the angle of the flat section relative to the body member.

4. In an electrical connection according to claim 1, wherein the bights are inclined toward each other, the ends of the wedge which engage the sections being similarly inclined.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,065,452 11/1962 Osborn 24-126 XR 3,275,974 9/1966 Mixon 339-247 XR DARRELL L. CLAY, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

